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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · press · fan · chair · band · hide · foot · bore

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chair — to sit on

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