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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — to push
  7. current — happening now
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. board — a committee
  17. press — a publisher
  18. board — to get on
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — not warm
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stem — a stem cell

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