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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: bark · last · cabinet · sharp · bank · squash · press · band

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bank — of a river
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bark — to shout
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bank — for money
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a music group

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