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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — a publisher
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — to push
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wake — a trail

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