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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.

Make a worksheet

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: plane · craft · wave · fan · press · cell · game · bass

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — boats
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — low music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bass — the fish
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cell — a phone
  24. press — newspapers

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