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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rest — what's left
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. root — the cause
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — to push
  14. content — the amount
  15. root — of a plant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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