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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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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 · staff · net · bowl · spring · race · field · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — the season
  3. race — a contest
  4. spring — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — in sport
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — newspapers
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. field — farmland
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — humankind
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. staff — a stick
  24. field — a subject

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