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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — to push
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. face — to point toward
  15. content — the amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — a friend
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — to confront
  21. stem — to come from
  22. face — part of the head
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. content — happy

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