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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.

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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: can · cell · cabinet · key · press · row · wound · current

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. current — electric
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. current — happening now
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — the most important part
  13. current — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — to push
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. key — in music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. row — a quarrel
  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