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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: rule · rush · press · cue · stem · wound · date · cell

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. press — to push
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cue — a hint
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — newspapers

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