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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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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — to push
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — ground
  11. press — a publisher
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pass — to succeed

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