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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — from a university
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — a publisher
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. sharp — exactly

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