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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: tear · cue · fine · press · chair · spring · swing · lash

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cue — a hint
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — a leader
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. swing — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. press — to push
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — the season
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — from crying
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fine — all right

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