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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. current — of water
  3. press — a publisher
  4. current — happening now
  5. key — the most important part
  6. current — electric
  7. can — to be able to
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — boats
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. press — to push
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — for a lock
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — in music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. can — a tin

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