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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.

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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: lean · current · sharp · fan · press · net · land · capital

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — of water
  3. land — ground
  4. current — happening now
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. press — a publisher
  10. capital — a city
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — electric
  17. net — for catching
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. sharp — clever
  22. press — to push
  23. land — a country
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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