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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. press — newspapers
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — to come from
  7. press — a publisher
  8. drill — army training
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fall — the season
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. drill — the tool

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