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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — the cause
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — of a plant
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. press — to push
  10. board — to get on
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. press — a publisher
  16. field — farmland
  17. row — a line
  18. field — a subject
  19. march — music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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