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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fork — in a road
  6. staff — employees
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cold — an illness
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — the most important part
  19. root — of a word
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. press — a publisher

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