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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. land — ground
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pop — to visit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. club — for golf
  12. press — a publisher
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. club — for dancing
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — newspapers
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — a group

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