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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: stick · chest · cell · lean · mug · board · can · press

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — to bend
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. board — a committee
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lean — thin
  14. press — to push
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — a box
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — a publisher

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