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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: coach · bulb · chest · chair · lean · drill · rush · press

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — to push
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bulb — for light

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