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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 120 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: press · sharp · leaves · board · pop · wake · pit · spring

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spring — a coil
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pop — to visit
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — of water
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pop — soda
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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