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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 120 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: present · trunk · squash · wave · mug · land · dip · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mug — to rob
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mug — a face
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. press — to push
  16. land — ground
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. present — there
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. present — a gift

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