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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: bowl · press · cap · stem · ruler · cabinet · chest · bat

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — a hat
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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