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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. press — to push
  4. club — a group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. club — for golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spring — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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