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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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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: cell · press · bay · bulb · chest · bound · cue · bear

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — a box
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bulb — of a plant

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