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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.

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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: bulb · press · can · rash · march · nail · cold · pop

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — newspapers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — music
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rash — a series
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. nail — on a finger

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