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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: row · branch · squash · press · bore · last · object · game

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. press — to push
  3. squash — to crush
  4. row — to paddle
  5. squash — the sport
  6. object — to protest
  7. bore — to tire
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. press — a publisher
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — a division
  14. bore — to drill
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. game — a match
  18. row — a line
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. object — a thing
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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