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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. object — a thing
  3. swing — to play on
  4. object — to protest
  5. bear — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fall — to drop
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. object — an aim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — a committee
  24. swing — music

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