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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — the sport
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. swing — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. press — to push
  22. current — happening now
  23. squash — to crush
  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