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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · pop · fan · press · rush · wind · cap · lean

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — soda
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — thin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — a lid
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — to hurry
  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