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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 · bore · mate · bowl · snap · pop · press · patient

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to click
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — a publisher
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — newspapers
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. press — to push

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