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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a cup
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — to push
  16. stem — to come from
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. calf — a young animal

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