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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: mate · fall · saw · press · chair · net · bulb · shower

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — rain
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — to push
  24. net — in sport

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