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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 116 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: bat · nail · prune · season · wax · sharp · press · pop

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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