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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — in cards

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