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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — to push
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. lean — thin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. root — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tear — to rip
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. press — a publisher

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