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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: wake · cap · march · board · craft · shower · tube · press

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — to push
  4. march — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. board — to get on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — the month
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tube — a container
  15. craft — a skill
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — boats
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cap — of ice
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cap — a hat

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