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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: can · press · rock · cue · wake · key · leaves · tear

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. press — to push
  3. cue — a signal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — a stone
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. press — newspapers
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — in music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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