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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 · toast · season · content · staff · nail · land · wind

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — the amount
  4. toast — bread
  5. season — of the year
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. land — a country
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — in sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. press — newspapers
  22. staff — employees
  23. press — to push
  24. land — ground

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