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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: season · spring · calf · wake · press · plane · content · dip

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — a publisher
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — to push
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. plane — an aircraft

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