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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — a gift
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. current — electric
  11. face — part of the head
  12. press — to push
  13. current — of water
  14. present — there
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. present — the time now
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tube — the underground
  19. current — happening now
  20. snap — to click
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — to confront

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