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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: prune · wind · tube · bulb · firm · game · fan · press

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — to push
  4. game — a match
  5. firm — a company
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — a container
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. firm — steady
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — in a tire
  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