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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. shower — rain
  6. press — to push
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — a container
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. press — newspapers

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