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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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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: coach · snap · lie · firm · spring · game · fan · press

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — a company
  3. spring — the season
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — of water
  10. firm — decided
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to click
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. firm — steady
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fan — a supporter

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