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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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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: wound · perch · mine · press · snap · bear · chair · hide

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to click
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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