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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — in a race
  17. press — newspapers
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. perch — for a bird

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