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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: fall · staff · object · foot · spell · mate · press · pop

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. spell — letters
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — a thing
  6. staff — a stick
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pop — soda
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — to visit
  11. object — an aim
  12. fall — the season
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — magic
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mate — to breed
  22. object — to protest
  23. press — to push
  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