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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: foot · press · spring · staff · bark · cap · swing · pit

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. staff — employees
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — of water
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. swing — in golf
  10. press — to push
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — to shout
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. staff — a stick
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. swing — to play on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. foot — a measure

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