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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 116 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: spring · ground · firm · wound · wax · press

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. firm — steady
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — the earth
  12. firm — a company
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — to push
  16. firm — decided
  17. spring — the season
  18. wound — an injury

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