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

Word bank: roll · stem · bat · press · fall · rock · tear · jam

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. roll — a list
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fall — the season
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. press — to push
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — to rip
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — a publisher

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