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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: cell · arm · bass · wound · perch · stem · row · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — to push
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — the fish
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. wound — an injury

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