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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a document
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chip — for betting
  12. press — a publisher
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stem — to come from

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