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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kick — in football
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kick — a thrill

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