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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: band · leaves · press · wax · shower · wound · season · mouse

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — newspapers
  9. season — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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