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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: prune · press · coach · club · face · chest · stand · perch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — to confront
  7. press — to push
  8. club — a group
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chest — a box
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. press — a publisher

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