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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: press · trunk · jam · roll · wake · hide · capital · rush

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. capital — a city
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. rush — hurry
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. capital — money
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. press — to push

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