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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. press — to push
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — moving air
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. season — in sport
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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