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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stock — goods
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rush — hurry
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — to bend

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