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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. press — to push
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — a position
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. stock — shares
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stem — to come from
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. prune — to trim
  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