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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bound — obliged
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — to push
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — to come from
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — certain
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. arm — part of the body

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