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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: jam · roll · cap · patient · can · press · branch · straw

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. can — a tin
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. can — to be able to
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. roll — a cake
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — of ice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cap — a lid
  22. press — newspapers
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. roll — a list

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