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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lean — thin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — to push
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pop — to visit
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. swing — music

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