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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 120 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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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: rock · pound · rest · chair · press · bear

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rock — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. press — newspapers

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