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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: land · saw · spring · press · march · foot · mate · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — newspapers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spring — of water
  19. march — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. land — a country
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — a friend

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