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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 120 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: can · bulb · stem · press · kid · fine · fan · pound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. press — to push
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — all right
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — high quality
  24. can — to be able to

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