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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lie — to recline
  4. band — a music group
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. shower — rain
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. game — a match
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fork — in a road
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — to push
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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