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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. perch — the fish

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