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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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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: pitcher · bound · wake · press · fall · stem · perch · spring

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. fall — the season
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bound — obliged
  9. press — newspapers
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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