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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — temperature
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — to push
  7. mate — to breed
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stem — of a plant

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