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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a line of people
  4. sharp — clever
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. file — a document
  8. press — to push
  9. land — to come down
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a tool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — to come from
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. press — a publisher

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