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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. board — a committee
  3. spring — the season
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fine — high quality
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — a coil
  12. court — for sport
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fine — all right
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. board — to get on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — of water

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