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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: stick · object · press · pound · mine · chair · squash · can

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. press — to push
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — a thing
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. object — to protest
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. can — to be able to
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — an aim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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