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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · fan · mine · leaves · chair · coach · fork · press

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. press — a publisher
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — to push
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. press — newspapers

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