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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a hat
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — employees
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — to keep secret

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