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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — to push
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. charge — electricity
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. charge — a price
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stem — to come from
  24. press — newspapers

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