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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: can · key · craft · bowl · press · tear

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. can — a tin
  3. craft — a skill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — to be able to
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. craft — boats
  9. key — for a lock
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. 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