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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: perch · bank · last · net · squash · press · degree · rush

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bank — for money
  3. squash — to crush
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — hurry
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — to go on
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — final
  16. press — to push
  17. bank — of a river
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — in sport

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