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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — for golf
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. press — to push
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — thin
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — a group
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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