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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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Word bank
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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: clip · ground · root · staff · object · press · pound · wind

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. 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. object — an aim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — a position
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — the earth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. object — a thing
  12. staff — employees
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pound — a weight
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. object — to protest
  22. root — of a word
  23. press — to push
  24. 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