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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · bowl · rash · press · pop · racket · bass

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. press — newspapers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — soda
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — low music

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