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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: press · mouse · prune · vault · cabinet · row · chair · jam

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — newspapers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. chair — a leader
  16. row — a line
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. vault — a safe
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. jam — in traffic

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