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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: mouse · court · press · can · cell · present · spring · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of law
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — there
  6. court — of a king
  7. present — a gift
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mouse — the animal

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