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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: spell · squash · scale · file · pop · cabinet · press · straw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — magic
  15. press — a publisher
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — a short time
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a document
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a line of people

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