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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — to come from
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mug — a face
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. drill — army training
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mug — to rob
  24. drill — a practice

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