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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — of a river
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — a short time
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. press — to push
  21. court — of law
  22. press — a publisher
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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