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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · mug · row · hand · perch · spring · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — to rob
  4. staff — a stick
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. press — newspapers
  8. row — a line
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hand — help
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — the fish
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — a cup
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mug — a face
  24. spring — of water

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