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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. land — to come down
  9. game — a match
  10. last — final
  11. land — a country
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lean — thin
  18. press — to push
  19. last — finally
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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