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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: object · press · march · date · wake · ruler

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. march — music
  7. object — a thing
  8. press — to push
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — newspapers
  11. object — an aim
  12. march — the month
  13. object — to protest
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wake — a trail

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