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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: pound · rock · chair · press · arm · ruler · wound · branch

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — a stone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pound — for dogs

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