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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: nail · fan · press · bass · craft · face · hand · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wind — moving air
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bass — low music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hand — help
  14. face — part of the head
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — newspapers
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — in cards

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