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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 120 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
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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: pound · press · rest · last · stick · scale · fan · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — of water
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. last — final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. scale — in music
  23. rest — a break
  24. spring — the season

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