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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 120 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: rash · hand · cap · present · plane · wake · content · press

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — a series
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. press — to push
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hand — help
  16. present — a gift
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — of ice

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