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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rash — hasty
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. press — a publisher
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — farmland
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — a subject
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. press — to push
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — ground
  24. racket — for tennis

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