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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.

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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: cabinet · mine · press · bat · squash · safe · spring · bank

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — the season
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bank — for money
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spring — of water
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — the animal

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