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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — the cause
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — a tool
  17. press — to push
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mark — a grade
  23. root — of a word
  24. press — newspapers

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