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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 116 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: board · wax · firm · snap · ground · press · season · leaves

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — of the year
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ground — the earth
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. firm — decided
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. firm — steady
  17. board — a committee
  18. firm — a company
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ground — a position
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — to add flavour

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