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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 · game · mouse · firm · chair · object · bound · branch

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. object — a thing
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — a company
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. firm — steady
  17. bound — certain
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a leader
  24. press — newspapers

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