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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: tube · rock · press · cold · chest · lie · pass · wound

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. rock — a stone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — an illness
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — a container
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — a permit
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — an injury

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