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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.

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: rash · plane · wind · row · fan · press · drill · land

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — ground
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — a line
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — army training
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — moving air
  19. land — a country
  20. press — to push
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — hasty

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