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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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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: firm · rest · cell · spring · press · bay

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — a phone
  10. firm — decided
  11. rest — a break
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — of water
  14. firm — steady
  15. spring — a coil
  16. firm — a company
  17. spring — the season
  18. rest — what's left

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