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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: spring · bark · hand · kick · mug · wake · rush · press

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — a cup
  7. press — to push
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. press — a publisher
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spring — a coil

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