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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.

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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: spring · pass · wax · leaves · game · shower · kick · press

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. press — to push
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. shower — rain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — a publisher
  14. game — a match
  15. pass — a permit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — newspapers
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — a thrill

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