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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. content — happy
  6. stem — to come from
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — to push
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hide — to keep secret

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