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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.

Make a worksheet

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: firm · press · rash · lie · perch · spring · wound · chest

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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 — the season
  2. chest — of your body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. firm — steady
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — decided
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — a series
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — a box
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — a company
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. press — newspapers
  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