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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
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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: field · press · cold · drill · race · lean · fan · dip

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. race — the arms race
  7. drill — army training
  8. race — a contest
  9. press — newspapers
  10. race — humankind
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. press — to push
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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