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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: deal · bulb · season · court · tear · press · saw · hide

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — for sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. court — of law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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