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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kick — in football
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — newspapers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cap — a lid
  11. court — for sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. court — of a king
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stem — a stem cell

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