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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: chair · deal · wake · wave · swing · spring · press · key

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. swing — music
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spring — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — to handle
  9. swing — to play on
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — in music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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