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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: pass · stick · press · spring · stand · current · can · trunk

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — the season
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. can — a tin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. press — to push
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — a permit
  23. can — a tin
  24. pass — to spend time

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