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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: coach · press · board · arm · plane · kid · pound · hand

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — help
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — to push
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. board — a committee
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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