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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: stem · press · roll · court · squash · ruler · snap · wound

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. court — of a king
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. court — for sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a list
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — of law
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. press — to push
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to click
  21. squash — the sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. roll — on a roll

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