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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: rush · key · field · kick · spring · vault · perch · press

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. vault — a safe
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — the season
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — newspapers
  19. field — a subject
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — for sport
  24. spring — a coil

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