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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — a series
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. press — newspapers
  9. row — a line
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — a phone
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. press — a publisher

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