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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: bound · rush · stand · squash · press · last · object · foot

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. press — to push
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. squash — to crush
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. foot — a measure
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stand — to bear
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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