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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bank — of a river
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — money

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