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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.

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: drill · press · fan · fine · wave · rush · ground · march

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. drill — army training
  5. press — a publisher
  6. march — the month
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. ground — a position
  9. march — music
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. march — the month
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fine — all right

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