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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: arm · stem · hand · rule · present · content · squash · press

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hand — help
  5. rule — a law
  6. present — there
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — government
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. press — a publisher
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. content — happy
  23. present — the time now
  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