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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: nail · present · bat · wake · leaves · fall · band · press

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. press — to push
  8. present — a gift
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — the time now
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. present — there

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