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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · wound · wake · rash · object · rush · fan · press

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. press — to push
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — hurry
  13. object — a thing
  14. wake — a trail
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — to eat
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rush — to hurry

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