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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — a position
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tube — a container
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a plant
  19. press — a publisher
  20. root — the cause
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. press — to push

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