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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — an illness
  6. face — to point toward
  7. firm — a company
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. last — final
  12. firm — decided
  13. last — finally
  14. firm — steady
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cold — not warm
  17. press — newspapers
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. face — to confront
  20. foot — a measure
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — to push

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