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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 116 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 · nail · trunk · stand · row · lean · content · coach

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. content — happy
  5. press — to push
  6. row — to paddle
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — the amount
  17. row — a line
  18. lean — to bend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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