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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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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: chair · press · stem · pit · bass · hide

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bass — low music

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