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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spring — the season
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — hurry
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. press — to push
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. hide — to keep secret

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