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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 · chair · mine · pop · present · ruler · press · suit

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. suit — clothes
  3. present — a gift
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. present — there
  7. spring — the season
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pop — soda
  12. press — to push
  13. pop — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — the time now
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — an explosive

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