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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: bark · squash · scale · cabinet · last · press · club · season

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — newspapers
  4. last — finally
  5. press — to push
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for golf
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — in sport
  13. club — a group
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. press — a publisher
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. scale — size or range

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