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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: last · pit · press · hide · bulb · stem · wave · straw

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — finally
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hide — animal skin

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