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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: current · hide · press · suit · key · field · spring · bark

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. suit — to fit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — to push
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — of water
  10. suit — clothes
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — for a lock
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. current — electric
  19. key — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — newspapers
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hide — animal skin

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