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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: mate · lean · scale · press · ground · toast · stem · wind

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ground — a position
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mate — a partner
  5. press — to push
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. toast — bread
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ground — the earth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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