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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bound — certain
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — newspapers
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — obliged

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