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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: press · nail · wax · coach · bound · chest · ruler · lean

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chest — a box
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — obliged
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lean — thin

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