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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 120 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 · straw · cabinet · press · bear · hand · last · object

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. object — an aim
  5. press — to push
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. object — a thing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. last — final
  14. hand — help
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — to protest
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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