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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — to push
  10. object — to protest
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. object — an aim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. object — a thing
  16. stem — to come from
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. race — humankind
  20. press — a publisher
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. dip — to sink

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