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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: squash · chip · can · hand · press · fall · cap · prune

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. press — to push
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. chip — to eat
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — in cards
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fall — to drop

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