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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tube — a container
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — to push
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. clip — a video
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — low music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. press — newspapers

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