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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. suit — to fit
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — to push
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — of ice
  15. suit — in cards
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spring — the season
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cap — a hat
  21. press — newspapers
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cap — a lid
  24. press — a publisher

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