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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.

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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: wave · chest · press · prune · fall · mouse · land · ground

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ground — a position
  15. land — to come down
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fall — the season
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — a publisher

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