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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — magic
  4. lean — thin
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spell — letters
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — to push
  15. chest — of your body
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — a match

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