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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 116 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: mark · track · cell · stem · row · land · swing · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — to come down
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — newspapers
  5. swing — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — a path
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stem — to come from
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mark — a trace
  13. press — to push
  14. row — a line
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. row — to paddle
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. land — ground
  23. mark — a grade
  24. land — a country

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