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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: press · prune · squash · row · bulb · jam · lie · field

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — for sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — to recline
  18. press — to push
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. press — newspapers
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the sport

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