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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. press — to push
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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