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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spring — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — the season
  7. mug — a face
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. press — to push
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — a coil
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — a trail
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stem — a stem cell

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