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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. leaves — of a tree

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