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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.

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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: rest · tube · chair · stem · fine · press · march · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fine — high quality
  6. march — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — all right
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — the month

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