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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.

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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pop — to visit
  3. root — the cause
  4. pop — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. bass — low music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stand — to bear
  13. root — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the instrument

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