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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: date · spring · rest · press · object · field · calf · fine

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spring — of water
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. press — a publisher
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. object — a thing
  21. fine — all right
  22. rest — a break
  23. object — an aim
  24. press — to push

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