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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — a box
  4. press — to push
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. march — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — thin

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