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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
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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: perch · coach · pop · press · rest · spell · object · hand

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. pop — soda
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — help
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. object — to protest
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spell — magic
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — a thing
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spell — letters
  21. perch — the fish
  22. object — an aim
  23. rest — what's left
  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