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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 · straw · bark · leaves · coach · dip · court · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — to push
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — a publisher
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. firm — decided
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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