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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.

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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: bore · lean · chair · press · pop · squash · row · key

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — to push
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bore — to tire
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bore — to drill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. key — in music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. row — a line
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — to crush

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