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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: sharp · row · mine · key · can · press · cabinet · tube

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — to push
  4. key — for a lock
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. key — in music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. row — to paddle
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. press — a publisher

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