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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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468
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: wake · press · fine · march · root · snap · mine · cabinet

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. press — to push
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — all right
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to click
  20. root — of a word
  21. press — newspapers
  22. root — the cause
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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