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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: bulb · charge · fan · press · wax · fall · cap · race

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — a publisher
  5. charge — in control
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — the season
  13. charge — electricity
  14. race — humankind
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cap — a hat
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. race — a contest
  24. bulb — for light

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