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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 120 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bound — obliged
  7. root — the cause
  8. season — of the year
  9. press — to push
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — a country
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mine — for digging
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — ground
  23. press — a publisher
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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