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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. present — there
  6. spell — letters
  7. press — a publisher
  8. land — a country
  9. press — to push
  10. land — to come down
  11. press — newspapers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — magic
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. land — ground
  18. nail — for a hammer

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