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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · chest · fan · press · nail · bear · pit · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — to push
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spring — of water
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cue — a hint
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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