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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. band — a ring
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — for betting
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. band — a music group
  16. press — a publisher
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. root — of a word
  24. kid — to tease

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