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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: press · mate · pop · season · plane · chest · wound · ground

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — in sport
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — music

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