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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. press — a publisher
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rule — government
  7. board — to get on
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stem — to come from
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. press — newspapers
  14. board — a committee
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — to push
  24. board — a flat piece

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