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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — certain
  12. charge — in control
  13. press — newspapers
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — of water
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. charge — a price
  22. press — to push
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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