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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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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: chair · racket · lie · press · field · spell · rest · stem

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — magic
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stem — to come from
  6. press — to push
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chair — a professorship

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