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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spring — of water
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. object — an aim
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. press — newspapers
  19. object — a thing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spring — the season
  22. press — to push
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — a coil

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