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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — the amount
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. drill — the tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stem — a stem cell

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