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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · rush · press · jam · cabinet · squash · fall · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bank — for money
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bank — of a river
  5. squash — the sport
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rush — hurry
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — to crush
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — the season
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com