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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fine — high quality
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — thin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — all right
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — to grow
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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