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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 120 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: press · bay · sharp · squash · wound · coach · fall · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — to drop

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