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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — magic
  15. press — to push
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spell — a short time
  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