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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: press · saw · date · season · lean · wake · dip · pitch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitch — completely
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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