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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: ball · swing · press · chest · scale · roll · lean · spring

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — thin
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — in music
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to bend
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chest — a box
  13. swing — in golf
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spring — the season
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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