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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: stick · press · roll · bowl · coach · bulb · stand · tear

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — to rip
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stand — to bear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. press — a publisher

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