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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. press — to push
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pit — in a race
  23. kid — child
  24. press — newspapers

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