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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: fall · arm · land · tear · game · safe · press · leaves

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. land — ground
  4. fall — the season
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — to come down
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tear — to rip
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — of a tree

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