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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — to come from
  4. object — a thing
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — to protest
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. object — an aim
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hide — animal skin

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