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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — to come from
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — to push
  7. game — a match
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — newspapers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — a publisher
  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