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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: chip · bound · mug · present · season · press · stem · snap

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. present — a gift
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — a publisher
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. present — there
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bound — tied together
  19. press — newspapers
  20. season — in sport
  21. present — the time now
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — certain
  24. mug — a face

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