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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fall — the season
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — all right
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — to come from
  17. race — the arms race
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — humankind
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — to push
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. plane — an aircraft

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