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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stand — to bear
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — of a word
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — of water

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