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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · fall · tear · charge · club · object · leaves · bulb

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. object — to protest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — to push
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. club — for dancing
  13. charge — a price
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — in control

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