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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: saw · perch · ball · press · stem · club · spring · rest

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. perch — the fish
  3. press — newspapers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. club — for dancing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spring — the season
  21. club — a group
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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