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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: mine · wake · plane · squash · tear · press · deal · court

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — a publisher
  3. plane — a tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. court — of a king
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — to handle
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — to rip
  20. squash — the sport
  21. press — to push
  22. court — of law
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — belonging to me

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