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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: lie · deal · leaves · press · lean · season · coach · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. last — finally
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. deal — to handle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. season — of the year
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lie — to recline

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