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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: mug · row · mine · squash · stand · leaves · press · roll

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — a publisher
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. press — to push
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mug — to rob
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. row — a line
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stand — to bear
  20. roll — a list
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. press — newspapers

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