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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. track — a song
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stem — to come from
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pit — in a race
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — to push
  24. hand — help

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