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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 120 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: chip · spring · swing · fall · lean · chest · shower · press

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spring — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chest — a box
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — in golf
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chip — to eat
  22. shower — rain
  23. lean — thin
  24. fall — the season

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