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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bear — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — to come from
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. press — to push

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