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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rest — a break
  10. press — a publisher
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — in sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — to push
  24. arm — part of the body

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