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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — newspapers
  10. band — a music group
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. land — a country
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. land — ground
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a leader

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