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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 120 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 · last · mine · bank · press · file · fan · object

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a line of people
  6. last — final
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. object — an aim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — to push
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — a thing
  16. bank — for money
  17. object — to protest
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bank — of a river

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