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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: roll · degree · coach · snap · press · nail · toast · prune

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. toast — bread
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. snap — to click
  18. roll — a cake
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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