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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: bat · spell · pound · press · spring · file · bay · ball

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — the season
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. file — a document
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — of water

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