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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. file — a document
  12. rest — a break
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stem — to come from
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — thin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — a cup
  20. press — to push
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mug — a face

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