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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. swing — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — the season
  8. race — humankind
  9. press — to push
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. swing — to play on
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fall — to drop
  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