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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. land — a country
  7. press — newspapers
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. land — ground
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. press — to push
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — a division
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — to visit
  24. branch — of a bank

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