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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: dip · chair · wave · bound · fall · press · band · court

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. press — a publisher
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. court — of a king
  12. press — to push
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fall — the season
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — certain
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — a leader

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