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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: spell · coach · bulb · press · clip · stem · snap · race

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — humankind
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to click
  11. clip — a video
  12. press — to push
  13. race — a contest
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spell — a short time
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spell — magic
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stem — to come from

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