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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chest — a box
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. press — to push
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a ring
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — of water
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mark — a grade

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