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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: spring · snap · current · coach · trunk · press · lie · last

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. press — a publisher
  5. last — to go on
  6. press — to push
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to click
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — of water
  13. last — finally
  14. spring — of water
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. last — final
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. current — electric

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