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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — of water
  3. press — to push
  4. spring — the season
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — a law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — to grow
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rock — music
  16. rule — government
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rule — to rule out

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