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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. root — of a word
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. scale — in music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — help
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. squash — the sport
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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