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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ground — a position
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. present — the time now
  11. charge — a price
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. lean — thin
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. charge — in control
  17. last — final
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. present — there
  23. jam — in traffic
  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