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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. last — finally
  9. press — to push
  10. firm — decided
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — a trace
  21. last — final
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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