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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.

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: press · spring · chest · season · saw · rush · game · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — of water
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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