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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: press · chest · staff · mouse · wind · plane · arm · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — employees
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. press — to push
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — a box
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wind — moving air

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