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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · bulb · pitch · shower · key · patient · bank · press

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bank — of a river
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — the most important part
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — of the year
  21. key — in music
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. patient — a sick person

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