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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. present — there
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — tied together
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. rest — what's left
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bound — certain

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