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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. press — to push
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. march — music

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