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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — tied together
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. press — to push
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — an illness
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — not warm

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