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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: toast · chair · clip · press · bore · stem · wake · racket

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — bread
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — to push
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — a leader
  16. press — newspapers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. press — a publisher
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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