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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. root — the cause
  3. chair — a leader
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. tube — the underground
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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