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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — ground
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. press — newspapers
  7. key — in music
  8. bank — for money
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. land — to come down
  12. stem — to come from
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — for a lock
  17. press — to push
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the body

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