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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 116 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spell — magic
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. field — for sport
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — child
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. cap — a hat

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