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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · pitch · pit · hide · spring · press · stem · object

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. press — to push
  3. object — to protest
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spring — of water
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — a hole
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. object — an aim
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hide — animal skin

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