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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: saw · trunk · season · press · tear · snap · fine · race

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. saw — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. race — the arms race
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. race — a contest
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tear — to rip
  23. press — to push
  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