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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 120 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: press · pit · kick · race · wave · bark · tube · stem

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kick — in football
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. tube — a container
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. press — to push

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