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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — ground
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — to push
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. press — newspapers
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — finally
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — final
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. temple — a place of worship

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