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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — a price
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stem — to come from
  9. press — to push
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — in control
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. trunk — of a tree

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