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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. press — to push
  3. stem — to come from
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — a series
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. game — wild animals
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. rock — a stone
  16. object — a thing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — a stem cell

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