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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — electricity
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a ring
  9. press — to push
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. band — a music group
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. charge — a price
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. stem — to come from
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. root — the cause
  23. chip — for betting
  24. root — of a word

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