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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: tube · suit · pitcher · shower · land · last · press · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — rain
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — to wash
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — ground
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — the underground
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. squash — the sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. suit — in cards
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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