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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
468
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: date · season · press · wound · mate · mouse · mine · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — to recline
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — to push
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — of the year
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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