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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. squash — the sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — a publisher
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. land — ground
  10. root — of a plant
  11. plane — a tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a word
  14. press — to push
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — in sport
  17. land — a country
  18. suit — to fit
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. suit — clothes
  22. squash — to crush
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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