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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rest — a break
  7. hand — in cards
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cold — an illness
  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