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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: hand · fan · row · chip · season · press · bulb · present

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — in sport
  6. press — to push
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. row — a line
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — help
  19. row — to paddle
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chip — to eat
  23. season — of the year
  24. present — there

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