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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: press · object · pop · wax · mate · plane · last · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — a publisher
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — to protest
  6. press — newspapers
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — soda
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — a tool
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. object — a thing
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pop — music
  24. fall — the season

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