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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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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — help
  5. bat — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. press — to push
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hand — in cards
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. calf — of the leg

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