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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spring — a coil
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. shower — to wash
  14. spring — of water
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pass — a permit

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