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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: rule · press · cabinet · mouse · jam · chair · lash · spring

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — to push
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. jam — in traffic
  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