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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: spring · key · club · straw · kick · spell · snap · press

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spell — letters
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — magic
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. key — for a lock
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. press — newspapers
  24. club — for dancing

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