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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. press — to push
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — to recline
  14. press — a publisher
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rest — a break
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rest — what's left
  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