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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: press · can · bulb · chair · wake · safe · key · snap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — the most important part
  14. can — a tin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — in music
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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