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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: fan · chip · press · face · net · spring · bear · fall

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — to push
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — in sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — the season
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to confront
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fall — to drop

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