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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 116 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: press · fine · spring · rush · land · key · wave · kick

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — in football
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — ground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — hurry
  9. key — for a lock
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — in music
  16. fine — all right
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — the season
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. land — to come down

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