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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: race · snap · stem · lean · land · press · straw · rush

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. land — ground
  5. snap — to click
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lean — thin
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rush — hurry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — a country
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. land — to come down
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. press — a publisher

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