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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: straw · cell · dip · prune · press · court · suit · stem

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. suit — clothes
  22. press — newspapers
  23. suit — to fit
  24. court — of law

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