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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: squash · last · mine · date · stick · race · wake · press

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — the fruit
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — a publisher
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — to push
  13. last — final
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. race — a contest
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. last — finally

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