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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: press · root · arm · kick · bat · wave

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. 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. arm — part of the body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bat — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — to push
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a word
  18. 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