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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · spring · leaves · press · stock · board · swing · deal

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kid — to tease
  4. press — newspapers
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. swing — to play on
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — a publisher
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — goods
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. board — a committee
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — child
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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