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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: leaves · kid · press · roll · bowl · fall · wax · cabinet

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. roll — a cake
  16. press — newspapers
  17. roll — a list
  18. wax — to grow
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fall — the season
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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