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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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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: press · track · rule · fan · stem · march · cell · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a path
  3. march — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. track — a song
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cell — a phone
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rule — a law
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — to push
  24. stem — a stem cell

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