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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. object — an aim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — of a word
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. object — a thing
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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