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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: pitcher · straw · pitch · press · bark · season · chest · bound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — to push

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