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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — a list
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — to push
  13. race — a contest
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. press — newspapers
  22. race — the arms race
  23. roll — a cake
  24. field — a subject

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