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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: date · pop · jam · current · press · ground · hand · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. hand — help
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. current — electric
  8. pop — to visit
  9. date — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — to push
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. current — happening now
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ground — crushed
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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