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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: press · deal · rock · track · cap · clip · stem · tear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rock — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. clip — a video
  11. track — a path
  12. rock — a stone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — to rip
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. press — to push

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