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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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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: can · mark · squash · press · shower · snap · pound · vault

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — a weight
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — to wash
  9. press — to push
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — to crush
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — rain
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — a trace
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mark — a grade

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