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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. foot — a measure
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — to push
  24. stem — a stem cell

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