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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.

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: bore · press · coach · chair · cabinet · leaves · straw · roll

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. roll — a list
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — a leader
  11. roll — a cake
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bore — to tire
  14. press — to push
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — a straw man

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