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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
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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: ground · mouse · pop · swing · net · chest · spring · press

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. pop — soda
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — to push
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — a box
  21. pop — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. swing — in golf

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