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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. press — newspapers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bark — to shout
  21. suit — to fit
  22. content — the amount
  23. file — a document
  24. content — happy

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