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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.

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: kid · squash · pitcher · tube · mine · wound · press · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — the underground
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kid — child
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. press — to push
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. squash — to crush
  24. suit — clothes

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