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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · kick · root · club · press · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. staff — a stick
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. club — a group
  9. kick — in football
  10. press — to push
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. club — for dancing
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fork — in a road

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