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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — to push
  4. net — after costs
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. net — in sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a partner
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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