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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mug — to rob
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — a publisher
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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