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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: ball · mark · press · bore · file · perch · deal · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — to push
  4. file — a tool
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bore — to drill
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — to handle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — to tire
  23. press — newspapers
  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