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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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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: leaves · swing · spring · march · hide · press · race · lie

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — to recline
  10. race — humankind
  11. march — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. press — a publisher
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. press — to push
  23. lie — an untruth
  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