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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: vault · stand · fall · hand · press · ground · straw · rush

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ground — crushed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — a position
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — help
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stand — to bear
  24. press — to push

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