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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitch — completely
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. last — finally
  15. lean — thin
  16. press — a publisher
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — in sport
  20. press — to push
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — to come from

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