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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: press · straw · march · key · land · ground · bulb · lean

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — music
  9. land — a country
  10. key — the most important part
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. press — a publisher
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. march — the month
  16. press — to push
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — in music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. key — for a lock
  24. press — newspapers

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