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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: rock · press · last · perch · chest · rash · coach · patient

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — a series
  4. press — a publisher
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — to push
  16. chest — a box
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — the fish
  24. coach — a trainer

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