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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: band · press · mine · tear · pitcher · squash · pit · rock

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. press — to push
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a ring
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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