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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — in sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — of a river
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — of the year

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