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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: rush · plane · spring · press · perch · chest · pitcher · deal

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spring — the season
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — to push
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — a tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — the fish
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rush — a thrill

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