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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. press — to push
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — of a plant
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. root — the cause
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bound — certain
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — low music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bound — obliged
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — tied together

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