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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: saw · mark · bear · roll · spring · plane · rash · press

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mark — a trace
  10. press — to push
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spring — of water
  17. rash — hasty
  18. roll — a cake
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — a coil
  24. roll — on a roll

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