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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. root — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. root — of a word
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. root — the cause
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — tied together
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chip — to eat
  18. kid — child
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rest — a break
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bound — certain
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chip — for betting

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