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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · spring · press · content · temple · arm · bark · date

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. content — the amount
  4. date — the fruit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. season — of the year
  8. press — newspapers
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. press — to push
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. content — happy
  19. bark — to shout
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spring — of water
  23. arm — part of the body
  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