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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — certain
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — a country
  6. spell — magic
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — ground
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — obliged
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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