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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: press · bound · trunk · chair · coach · race · rash · can

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rash — a series
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bound — certain
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bound — tied together

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