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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 · leaves · chest · firm · mouse · bound · branch · bass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. firm — decided
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — low music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. press — to push
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bound — certain
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chest — a box

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