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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stem — to come from
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. press — to push
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body

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