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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. current — of water
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — to push
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a music group
  21. current — electric
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — to shout

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