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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 the members were all out of tune.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. face — to point toward
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to confront
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. root — the cause
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — to push
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — a subject
  23. root — of a plant
  24. face — part of the head

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