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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — thin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. shower — rain
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kick — in football
  20. row — a line
  21. press — to push
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a round shape

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