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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: deal · press · land · net · present · row · stem · ball

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. press — to push
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — a gift
  9. land — ground
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. press — newspapers
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ball — a dance
  19. land — a country
  20. press — a publisher
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — to handle

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