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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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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: prune · scale · stand · chest · press · wind

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — in music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — to bear
  12. press — a publisher
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — to push
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — for spectators

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