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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bowl · wake · lie · hide · press · squash · leaves · field

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. squash — to crush
  24. press — to push

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