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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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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: present · toast · bank · cap · press · prune · clip · squash

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — of ice
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — to cut
  6. press — newspapers
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. squash — to crush
  9. present — the time now
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bank — for money
  13. present — there
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — of a river
  17. clip — a video
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. press — to push
  24. toast — bread

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