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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: toast · squash · wound · perch · date · rush · cold · press

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — an illness
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — to crush
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — hurry
  17. toast — bread
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — newspapers
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. squash — the vegetable

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