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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: arm · press · roll · spring · sharp · capital · staff · stick

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — money
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. press — a publisher
  6. roll — a cake
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — clever
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — a list
  18. press — to push
  19. capital — a city
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spring — the season

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