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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — a publisher
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pop — to visit
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bark — to shout

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