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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — of ice
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rush — hurry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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