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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: season · fork · swing · stand · press · cold · cabinet · arm

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — to push
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — a publisher
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. season — in sport

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