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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — to push
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — to protest
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — newspapers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — of a plant
  20. object — an aim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. root — the cause
  24. press — a publisher

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