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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 · season · nail · cold · suit · wake · board · hide

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. board — a committee
  4. press — to push
  5. suit — clothes
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. suit — to fit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — of the year
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — to get on
  24. season — in sport

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