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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: lean · chest · press · fall · kid · mug · scale · present

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — a box
  3. scale — in music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — child
  7. present — there
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — a cup
  13. present — a gift
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lean — thin
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mug — a face
  22. kid — to tease
  23. present — the time now
  24. press — to push

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