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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: squash · wound · press · march · fine · prune · stick · bowl

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — to push
  4. march — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — newspapers
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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