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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: key · chair · spring · hand · stick · season · press · rush

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. season — of the year
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chair — a leader
  19. press — to push
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. press — newspapers

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