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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: chest · spell · rest · kick · bark · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body

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