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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spring — a coil
  3. shower — rain
  4. firm — decided
  5. stand — to bear
  6. firm — a company
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. firm — steady
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to confront
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spring — the season
  24. bark — to shout

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