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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bank — for money
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chair — a leader
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — to push
  12. rule — a law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — in music
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chip — to eat
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rule — government
  24. stem — a stem cell

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