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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: press · hide · roll · straw · staff · content · nail · fall

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. roll — a list
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. press — a publisher
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — employees
  14. fall — the season
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. staff — employees
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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