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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 124 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — in football
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. object — an aim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — a publisher
  15. object — a thing
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. press — to push
  18. bound — tied together
  19. object — to protest
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kick — with a leg

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