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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: press · lean · ruler · wake · hide · spring · bear · rest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rest — a break
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lean — to bend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. press — a publisher

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