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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — there
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. present — the time now
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. coach — a trainer

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