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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 116 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: leaves · cap · press · hand · current · squash · face · wave

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — to push
  14. face — to confront
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. hand — help
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — part of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — of a tree

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