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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: press · wave · lean · swing · row · tube · spring · firm

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. press — newspapers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — a publisher
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — of water
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — the season
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — to paddle
  20. firm — steady
  21. press — to push
  22. firm — decided
  23. swing — music
  24. row — a line

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