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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: wave · file · bulb · press · racket · mate · cold · can

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mate — a partner
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. file — a document
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. file — a line of people
  14. press — newspapers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — of a plant

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