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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. press — to push
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. press — newspapers
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mine — for digging
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. press — a publisher

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