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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — to push
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. land — to come down
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cell — a phone

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