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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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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 · straw · band · ruler · lean · chair · wave · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — thin
  16. press — to push
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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