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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cap — a lid
  11. key — in music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — to push
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. key — the most important part
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — the season
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — of water
  23. cap — of ice
  24. staff — a stick

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