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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: mouse · stick · squash · bark · march · roll · chip · press

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — a list
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — to push
  22. roll — a cake
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — for betting

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