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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 · bulb · pop · perch · face · object · patient · press

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spring — the season
  3. press — to push
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. object — a thing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to confront
  17. object — to protest
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — to visit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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