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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: pop · plane · press · leaves · bat · bay · rash · squash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. press — to push
  3. bat — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — a publisher
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. plane — a tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rash — a series
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rash — hasty

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