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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — to grow
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. march — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. root — of a word

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