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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 · mouse · press · lean · tear · stem · rule · fan

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — government
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. rule — a law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — for a computer

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