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

Word bank: nail · press · present · stem · kid · march

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stem — to come from
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. present — a gift
  9. press — newspapers
  10. present — there
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — the time now
  18. nail — on a finger

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