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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: press · plane · bulb · staff · land · calf · face · wind

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to confront
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — part of the head
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — a publisher
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  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