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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: cold · court · wake · press · cell · present · plane · bear

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. court — for sport
  6. present — there
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. court — of law
  10. present — the time now
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cell — a phone
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. press — to push
  22. cold — not warm
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — to put up with

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