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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: press · wind · chair · bank · safe · nail · coach · hand

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — help
  6. bank — for money
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wind — moving air

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