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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: press · bound · fall · cabinet · pitcher · hide · perch · scale

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — to push
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — certain
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fall — the season
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bound — tied together
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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