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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 112 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: ruler · press · stick · hand · hide · cap · stem · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. press — to push
  14. hand — help
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. swing — in golf

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