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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — steady
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. club — a group
  8. firm — decided
  9. rock — a stone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — a company
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. club — for golf
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stem — to come from
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rock — music
  24. wind — moving air

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