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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: press · track · cell · can · shower · roll · wake · craft

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. roll — a list
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. craft — boats
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. track — a path
  19. cell — in biology
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. track — a song
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — rain

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