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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: bulb · fork · chair · land · swing · deal · press · spring

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — a coil
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. swing — to play on
  20. land — to come down
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — a publisher

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