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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: pass · leaves · stick · fall · press · row · nail · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fall — the season
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. nail — for a hammer

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