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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: content · season · shower · press · mark · root

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — a publisher
  5. root — of a word
  6. content — the amount
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. press — newspapers
  12. root — of a plant
  13. press — to push
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. season — in sport
  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