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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — of water
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. root — the cause
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. root — of a word
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

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