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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.

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: rash · dip · press · face · game · wind · tube · fan

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — newspapers
  7. dip — to sink
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rash — a series
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — to push
  19. game — a match
  20. press — a publisher
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — a container
  24. face — to confront

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