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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 120 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: press · pitcher · face · land · file · bulb · racket · wake

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. wake — a trail
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. press — a publisher
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a line of people
  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