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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. land — ground
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. land — to come down
  21. cap — of ice
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — to push
  24. stem — of a plant

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