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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 · stand · straw · chest · chair · plane

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. press — to push
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chest — a box
  9. plane — a tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet

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