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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
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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: object · fall · land · plane · chair · spell · ball · press

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — a thing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — a country
  9. ball — a dance
  10. land — ground
  11. press — to push
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — the season
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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