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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · leaves · cabinet · press · trunk · kid · stem · bore

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. press — to push
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. press — newspapers
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — of water

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