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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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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: fall · press · spring · toast · arm · chest · cabinet · snap

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. chest — a box
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. toast — bread
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fall — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. press — to push
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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