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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: press · land · mark · tube · board · rule · fan · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. board — to get on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — a law
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. board — a committee
  10. land — a country
  11. press — newspapers
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rule — government
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — to push
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — the underground

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