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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · rash · press · march · stick · squash · bear · lean

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — in music
  15. rash — a series
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — to crush
  19. key — for a lock
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lean — thin

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