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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: arm · spring · can · press · hand · bark · swing · chest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — a coil
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — to push
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — newspapers
  13. can — to be able to
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. swing — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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