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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · cold · press · straw · prune · chest · net · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — a box
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. net — for catching
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stand — to bear
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — of your body

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