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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — a series
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — of a plant
  8. press — to push
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — for paper
  24. press — newspapers

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