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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: snap · press · race · mine · hide · spell · straw · saw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. race — the arms race
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. press — a publisher
  5. saw — the tool
  6. race — a contest
  7. spell — magic
  8. race — humankind
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mine — belonging to me

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