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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: wave · press · chest · current · lean · land · spring · spell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. land — a country
  4. chest — a box
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — of water
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — magic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spring — of water
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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