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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
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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: bear · present · date · land · plane · pop · press · season

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — there
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — a country
  6. date — the fruit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — a publisher
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — to push
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. present — a gift
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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