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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: firm · rest · coach · pound · field · press

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — a publisher
  8. firm — steady
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — a weight
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — a subject
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. firm — a company

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