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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rest — a break
  4. press — to push
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a face
  10. root — of a word
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. root — the cause
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — for digging
  23. field — a subject
  24. face — part of the head

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