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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: race · hand · face · rash · fan · wave · rush · press

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — help
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — a publisher
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. race — a contest
  19. rush — hurry
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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