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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.

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: ground · press · fine · season · mine · coach · clip · bore

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bore — to drill
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — in sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  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