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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. drill — army training
  6. present — there
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bass — low music
  10. present — the time now
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — to come from
  20. present — a gift
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bass — the instrument

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