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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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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: bulb · press · stick · mine · plane · racket · wave · tear

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. plane — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — for light
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. press — to push
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wave — with your hand

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