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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: vault · bark · nail · rush · last · squash · pass · press

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — to push
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — finally
  20. bark — to shout
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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