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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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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: press · pitcher · land · stem · vault · mark · coach · race

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — the arms race
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mark — a grade
  15. race — a contest
  16. press — a publisher
  17. land — to come down
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. race — humankind
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. land — ground
  24. stem — of a plant

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