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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 120 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: mate · fan · spring · season · mouse · band · press · race

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. race — the arms race
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — humankind
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — a contest
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a music group

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