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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. net — after costs
  3. stem — to come from
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cap — a lid
  6. press — to push
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. net — in sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. track — a path
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a hat
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — a song
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cap — of ice
  24. patient — a sick person

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