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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: net · spring · content · cell · press · wound · pound · lean

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — the amount
  4. spring — the season
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — in sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. content — happy
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — in biology
  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