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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — to push
  6. can — to be able to
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — high quality
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — all right
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. press — newspapers
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. prune — the fruit

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