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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — of the year
  6. stem — to come from
  7. press — newspapers
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — to push
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the sport
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to sink
  14. season — in sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rest — a break
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — to crush
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. track — to keep track

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