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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 · hand · press · staff · spell · trunk · chest · jam

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spell — a short time
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spell — magic
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. press — to push
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — the season
  20. chest — a box
  21. spell — letters
  22. spring — of water
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hand — help

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