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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — to push
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. court — of law
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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