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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tube — a container
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — to tease
  15. scale — in music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — to push
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — child

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