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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — farmland
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. foot — a measure

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