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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. last — final
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. last — to go on
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — a video
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — certain
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kid — to tease
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — obliged
  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