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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 116 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 · staff · spring · rule · trunk · key · wax · land

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — government
  7. land — to come down
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — a country
  15. key — the most important part
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. rule — a law
  24. spring — the season

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