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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. root — the cause
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a word
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitch — completely
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. press — to push
  18. band — a music group
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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