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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: press · wind · stem · saw · game · stand · season · mark

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stem — to come from
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — to bear
  14. press — newspapers
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  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