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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
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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: rest · season · fan · press · mine · spell · leaves · key

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — a short time
  10. season — of the year
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — a break
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spell — letters
  22. key — for a lock
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — lets stay

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