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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — newspapers
  8. root — of a word
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — thin
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — crushed
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — to bend

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