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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: wave · tube · mine · press · season · roll · coach · track

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — a container
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — a song
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. track — to keep track
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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