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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — to push
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — a measure
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a word
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a plant
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. deal — to handle
  21. current — happening now
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — electric

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