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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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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: club · net · stock · chip · press · fall · leaves · wind

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — to push
  3. net — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. club — for dancing
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stock — shares
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. press — a publisher
  14. net — for catching
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — goods
  17. club — a group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. club — for golf
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wind — to turn a key

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