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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cell — a phone
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — a law
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rule — government
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — in biology
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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