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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — to push
  4. pop — music
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. row — to paddle
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — a publisher
  16. band — a ring
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fall — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — soda
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a rubber band

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