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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 120 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: press · pitcher · spring · field · foot · saw · spell · lie

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — magic
  10. press — a publisher
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — farmland

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