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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: straw · date · bear · mark · press · game · bound · stem

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — obliged
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. press — to push
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. press — newspapers

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