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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — crushed
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stem — to come from
  22. press — to push
  23. spell — letters
  24. ground — the earth

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