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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: roll · staff · kick · hand · wind · sharp · press · tube

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — to push
  3. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a list
  10. tube — a container
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — a cake
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — help

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