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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: toast · board · wind · press · object · fan · roll · drill

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. press — a publisher
  5. drill — a practice
  6. object — to protest
  7. roll — a list
  8. object — an aim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — newspapers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — to push
  15. drill — the tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. board — a committee
  21. toast — bread
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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