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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: spell · band · hand · squash · bark · rash · saw · press

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — the sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spell — magic
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — to shout
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — to crush

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