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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: toast · stem · racket · press · band · chest · row · wind

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chest — of your body
  3. toast — bread
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stem — to come from
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. band — a ring
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — to paddle
  22. press — a publisher
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — a loud noise

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