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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
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 · rock · mate · press · prune · jam · cell · wax

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rock — music
  7. press — to push
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cell — a phone
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a partner
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rock — to move gently

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