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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: cold · pop · snap · roll · season · leaves · can · press

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — a tin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cold — an illness
  8. roll — a cake
  9. season — of the year
  10. press — to push
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — a publisher
  13. snap — to click
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pop — music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. can — a tin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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