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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: staff · roll · wind · march · cell · press · safe · fan

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — to push
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cell — in biology
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. press — a publisher
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. press — newspapers
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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