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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: drill · key · staff · press · firm · spring · dip · land

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — a country
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — ground
  10. key — in music
  11. press — to push
  12. firm — a company
  13. spring — the season
  14. key — for a lock
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spring — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. staff — a stick

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