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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stock — goods
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stem — to come from
  17. dip — to sink
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — a video
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. can — a tin

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