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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 120 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: season · rush · press · kid · spring · wax · cue · fan

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spring — of water
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. press — a publisher
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — to grow
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kid — to tease
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — of the year
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — the season
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — for pool

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