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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chest — a box
  10. object — to protest
  11. press — to push
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. object — a thing
  17. bound — certain
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — thin

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