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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. press — to push
  3. root — the cause
  4. face — to confront
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — help
  7. press — a publisher
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — the most important part
  10. face — part of the head
  11. press — newspapers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. key — for a lock
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. last — final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — to go on
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. last — finally
  24. key — in music

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