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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: press · squash · kid · season · deal · rash · bound · bank

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — child
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rash — a series
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bound — certain
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — to push
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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