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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · row · wound · wake · season · press · key · present

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wake — a trail
  7. season — of the year
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. present — the time now
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. present — there
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. present — a gift
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — for a lock

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