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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — a stick
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — a series
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. press — to push

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