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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · lie · squash · shower · bay · chair · branch · sharp

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. squash — to crush
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. press — to push
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lie — an untruth

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