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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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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: chair · perch · board · press · pound · tear · face · rush

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. press — to push
  4. face — part of the head
  5. press — newspapers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — a publisher
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rush — hurry
  24. perch — the fish

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