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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a document
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. net — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — to recline
  18. file — a tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — to push
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. stem — to come from

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