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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. root — of a word
  6. tube — the underground
  7. press — to push
  8. root — the cause
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. tube — a container
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kick — in football
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fall — to drop

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