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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: scale · press · dip · squash · chair · bore · rest · fork

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fork — in a road
  4. press — newspapers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. scale — size or range
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. scale — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — to tire

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