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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: mark · shower · trunk · toast · object · press · root · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — a trace
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. shower — to wash
  8. toast — bread
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — rain
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — not warm
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mark — a grade
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. press — to push
  24. trunk — of a tree

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