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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. net — in sport
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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