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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ball — a great time
  22. root — of a plant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spell — a short time

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