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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: rest · arm · pitch · bank · chair · clip · press · prune

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — a leader
  8. press — to push
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — a break
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bank — of a river
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — to cut
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. clip — a video

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