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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — goods
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — shares
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lean — to bend
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cell — a phone

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