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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: band · land · bulb · plane · wind · press · race · bass

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. race — the arms race
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. band — a ring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — low music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. press — a publisher
  14. race — humankind
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the fish
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. race — a contest
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — ground
  24. press — to push

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