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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: object · land · fan · capital · wave · press · squash · date

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — ground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — to crush
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. press — to push
  8. object — an aim
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. land — to come down
  11. object — a thing
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. date — the fruit
  15. land — a country
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — a supporter

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