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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: press · wound · staff · object · board · saw · cell · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cell — a phone
  3. board — to get on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — a thing
  13. board — a committee
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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