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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: mark · bowl · nail · fall · press · march · wind · leaves

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — a publisher
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mark — a grade
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. march — the month
  24. press — newspapers

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