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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — a series
  24. kick — in football

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