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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: fan · press · fall · bowl · tube · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tube — a container
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fan — to cool the air

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