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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · plane · pound · roll · field · rest · chair · squash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pound — a weight
  4. press — to push
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — for sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. press — newspapers
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. press — a publisher
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. field — farmland
  22. roll — a list
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chair — a leader

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