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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
468
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: capital · leaves · rash · perch · clip · fall · press · current

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. capital — money
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — electric
  15. perch — the fish
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. current — happening now
  22. capital — a city
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. current — of water

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