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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
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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: prune · season · coach · court · scale · charge · press · wax

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. charge — a price
  13. wax — to grow
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of law
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. court — for sport
  18. press — newspapers
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. scale — size or range
  23. court — of a king
  24. charge — in control

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