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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — a short time
  3. object — to protest
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chip — to eat
  6. object — a thing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — to trim
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — to push
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — a sports field

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