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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — soda
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. press — newspapers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — to push
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. date — the fruit

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