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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chip — for betting
  6. press — to push
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bank — of a river
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — low music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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