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

Word bank: press · bound · nail · cabinet · snap · current · bat · stand

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stand — to bear
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. current — of water
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. press — to push
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cabinet — ministers

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