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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 · race · bulb · coach · kid · prune · lean · press

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to bend
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lean — thin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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