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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. object — to protest
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. march — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. march — the month
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — the month
  12. craft — boats
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — an aim
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. press — to push

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