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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · tube · press · cap · stem · chest

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chest — of your body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — a law
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rule — government
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chest — a box
  18. cap — a hat

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