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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 · lean · mouse · chest · press · tear

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. firm — decided
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. firm — steady
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chest — of your body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chest — a box
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. firm — a company
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — from crying

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