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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: scale · dip · wave · can · hand · press · squash · mug

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. scale — in music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — to push
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mug — a face
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mug — a cup
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mug — to rob
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hand — in cards

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