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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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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: chair · object · press · race · fall · bank

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. 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. race — humankind
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — for money
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. object — to protest
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — an aim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bank — for money
  15. race — the arms race
  16. object — a thing
  17. fall — the season
  18. 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