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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.

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
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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: bound · rule · present · press · wave · land · wind · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rule — government
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — in music
  8. bound — certain
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. press — to push
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. present — there
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — newspapers
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — a law
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. land — ground
  22. present — a gift
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — the most important part

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