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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 116 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: row · bass · key · game · prune · chair · lean · press

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lean — to bend
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. key — in music
  11. row — a line
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. press — to push
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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