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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.

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: fall · chair · wound · plane · stand · season · bulb · press

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fall — the season
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — in sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. press — to push
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — a tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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