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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. roll — a list
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. roll — a cake
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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