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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: wind · tube · chair · wave · date · face · press · safe

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. press — to push
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tube — a container
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — to confront
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — to turn a key

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