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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ground — a position
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — to wash

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