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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. capital — a city
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — to come from
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. scale — in music
  19. current — electric
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fork — in a road
  24. press — to push

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