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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: press · bass · spring · trunk · plane · racket · swing · pitcher

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — in golf
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. swing — music
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — a publisher
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. press — to push

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