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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for golf
  7. pop — soda
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — certain
  10. pop — to visit
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pop — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. club — for dancing
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. club — a group
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. press — a publisher

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