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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. root — the cause
  6. lean — to bend
  7. press — to push
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lean — thin
  11. root — of a word
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a line
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — for sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. fan — a supporter

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