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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.

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: lean · coach · plane · staff · cell · racket · hide · press

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — to push
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — thin
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cell — in biology
  14. staff — a stick
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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