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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: chair · present · content · press · bound · nail · shower · lash

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. present — there
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — a gift
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. content — the amount
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a leader

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