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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. staff — a stick
  3. press — newspapers
  4. land — ground
  5. face — to confront
  6. root — of a plant
  7. staff — employees
  8. face — part of the head
  9. branch — a division
  10. land — to come down
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — the cause
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — to point toward
  15. press — a publisher
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — goods
  22. swing — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — a country

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