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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: press · drill · wind · race · can · bear

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. race — humankind
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — newspapers
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — to turn a key

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