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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: swing · rock · fan · press · bear · branch · wind · nail

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. rock — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — a stone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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