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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: fan · can · mate · press · spring · pit · pound · last

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — to go on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pit — a hole
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — a tin
  15. press — a publisher
  16. last — final
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mate — a friend
  21. can — a tin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — in a race

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