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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · chair · press · chest · cabinet · can · mark · saw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chest — a box
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — to push
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chair — a professorship
  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