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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — a city
  5. bear — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rule — government
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rule — a law

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