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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
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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: press · roll · scale · wound · track · can · land · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. can — a tin
  3. scale — in music
  4. land — ground
  5. roll — a cake
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — to come down
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a list
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a path
  16. press — to push
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — a country
  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