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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a song
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. face — to confront
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — part of the head
  20. track — a path
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wave — of the sea

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