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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: leaves · chair · clip · cabinet · face · can · saw · fall

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — to confront
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a leader
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — a video
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — part of the head
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — to cut
  22. face — to point toward
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chair — to sit on

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