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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 120 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: club · root · bank · press · calf · tear · bowl · kid

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. root — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. club — a group
  5. root — the cause
  6. kid — child
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — to push
  11. club — for golf
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a word
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — newspapers
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bank — for money

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