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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — soda
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. press — to push
  21. pop — to visit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — the season

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