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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — soda
  5. content — happy
  6. fine — all right
  7. content — the amount
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ground — a position
  10. season — in sport
  11. press — to push
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pop — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stem — to come from

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