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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.

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: object · press · net · fall · dip · hide · bulb · tear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fall — to drop
  3. object — a thing
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — the season
  11. object — to protest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — after costs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — to sink
  17. object — an aim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — to keep secret

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