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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. capital — money

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