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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. net — after costs
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bank — of a river
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — for catching
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bank — for money

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