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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: mine · press · dip · cabinet · season · roll · land · wound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — a country
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — ground
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — to push
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. roll — a list
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. mine — for digging

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