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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spring — of water
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lean — to bend

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