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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fall — the season
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — thin
  15. press — a publisher
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — to crush
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spell — letters
  23. press — to push
  24. fall — to drop

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