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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
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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: mine · fan · wind · bass · press · dip · key · spring

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — a coil
  5. key — in music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — newspapers
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. spring — of water

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