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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: prune · press · spell · rest · snap · season · wake · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rest — a break
  5. press — a publisher
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. snap — to click
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — to push
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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