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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: wave · capital · safe · current · cell · roll · press · trunk

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. current — happening now
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. roll — a cake
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — money
  11. roll — a list
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cell — a phone
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. current — electric
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. current — of water
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — in biology

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