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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a word
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — a series
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — of a tree

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