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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: hand · can · tube · press · current · wake · date · chair

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — a container
  4. current — of water
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — help
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hand — in cards

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