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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — goods
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rule — a law

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