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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: cap · press · can · roll · field · cabinet · mark · spring

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a grade
  5. can — a tin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cap — a hat
  9. roll — a list
  10. field — farmland
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — a subject
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — of water
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cap — of ice
  19. field — for sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — to push

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