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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. root — of a word
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — the cause
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. root — of a plant
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — of water
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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