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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: press · root · roll · jam · drill · stock · chest · bat

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. drill — army training
  3. roll — a cake
  4. root — of a word
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — newspapers
  7. drill — the tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. press — a publisher
  10. root — the cause
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — a list
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stock — shares
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. press — to push
  20. stock — goods
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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