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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · ground · capital · bore · pitcher · press · bulb · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — to push
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bore — to tire
  12. capital — a city
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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