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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: pass · present · land · saw · tube · cold · season · press

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — the underground
  6. present — there
  7. press — to push
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — ground
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. present — a gift
  16. press — a publisher
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tube — a container
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — a country
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cold — the Cold War

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