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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: saw · bound · press · race · trunk · season · mine · foot

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — to push
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — obliged
  12. race — humankind
  13. season — of the year
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. season — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. foot — part of the body

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