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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: chair · roll · press · fall · wax · chip · cabinet · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — to eat
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. chip — for betting
  19. roll — a list
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wax — in the ear

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