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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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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: press · foot · fall · branch · wind · row · coach · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. row — to paddle
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fall — the season
  6. press — to push
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — newspapers
  10. race — the arms race
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — a division
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a line
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wind — moving air
  20. foot — a measure
  21. race — a contest
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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