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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 120 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: pass · coach · bowl · land · march · bear · press · stick

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. march — music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. land — ground
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — a country

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