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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 · chest · bowl · rest · ball · prune · mine · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. present — there
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — to push
  18. rest — a break
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — belonging to me

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