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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 116 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: wound · press · cap · mug · fan · court · tube · staff

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — a face
  10. cap — a lid
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tube — a container
  13. court — of law
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. staff — employees
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a hat
  18. staff — a stick
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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