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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 116 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: bulb · wound · chip · net · press · coach · vault · wind

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — a safe
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — in sport
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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