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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — a container
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — high quality
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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