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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: press · race · land · fan · rest · bulb · wake · saw

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rest — a break
  10. press — a publisher
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bulb — for light
  14. press — to push
  15. land — to come down
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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