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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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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: leaves · race · bear · capital · straw · bulb · bay · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — money

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