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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: spring · ball · leaves · plane · pitcher · game · press · lean

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — a match
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. ball — a great time
  13. game — wild animals
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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