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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — a publisher
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — child
  12. swing — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. swing — in golf
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — to cut
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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