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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · race · pop · stem · plane · bound · jam · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pop — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pop — soda
  6. bound — tied together
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. race — humankind
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — to push
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. press — a publisher
  24. plane — a tool

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