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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lean — thin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lean — to bend

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