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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: mate · mark · bulb · firm · hand · season · pop · press

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — in cards
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — steady
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mark — a grade
  18. firm — decided
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — to push
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. firm — a company
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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