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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — the season
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. swing — music
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — of water
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a leader

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