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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
468
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: wind · patient · spring · last · spell · press · straw · rock

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — a short time
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. last — finally
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spell — letters
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spring — of water
  15. last — final
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rock — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — to go on
  22. spell — magic
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — a straw man

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