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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: leaves · hand · chest · jam · press · track · chair · bank

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chest — a box
  3. hand — help
  4. press — to push
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. track — a song
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — a publisher
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a path
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — a professorship

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