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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: pound · press · content · squash · chip · bound · stem · chest

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — certain
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chest — a box
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pound — a weight
  23. press — to push
  24. squash — the sport

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