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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: wind · hand · spell · trunk · press · firm · bulb · fine

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — decided
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — to push
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bulb — for light
  21. firm — a company
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. firm — steady

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