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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: staff · pass · spring · rash · fall · press · bound · mouse

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fall — the season
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — obliged
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — a series
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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