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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: capital · ground · present · rest · root · cell · press · firm

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. root — of a word
  3. present — there
  4. capital — money
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. present — a gift
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — the time now
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in biology
  17. capital — a city
  18. firm — decided
  19. ground — the earth
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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