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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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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: bass · cell · bear · chest · press · hide · kick · stand

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. kick — in football
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. chest — a box
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bear — to put up with

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