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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — a publisher
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — a country
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — size or range
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — to push
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — a trail
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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