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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chest — a box
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — a position
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — of a plant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — the season
  16. root — of a word
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — of your body
  23. root — the cause
  24. bulb — for light

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