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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. craft — boats
  6. lean — thin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. prune — the fruit

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