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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rash — a series
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — happy
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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