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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pop — music
  3. roll — a list
  4. firm — decided
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — a company
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pop — to visit
  13. root — of a word
  14. cap — a lid
  15. roll — a cake
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. press — to push
  21. pop — soda
  22. cap — a hat
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. root — the cause

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