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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: clip · coach · branch · press · wax · ball · cabinet · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. press — to push
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fall — the season
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — a video
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. clip — for paper
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — to grow
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — to cut
  24. coach — a trainer

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