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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: content · press · wind · jam · safe · snap · coach · prune

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to click
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. content — happy
  10. press — a publisher
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — to trim
  15. content — the amount
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. press — to push
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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