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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — the season
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. season — of the year
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mouse — the animal

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