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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
468
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: season · cue · leaves · plane · press · pitch · bowl · wax

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — a hint
  7. press — to push
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cue — for pool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — of the year
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. press — newspapers

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