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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — of a plant
  7. press — a publisher
  8. kid — to tease
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — music
  20. march — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — an injury

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