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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: chest · bear · mark · game · press · fall · saw · bulb

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a match
  10. fall — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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