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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 · game · band · date · kid · row · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — a match
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. band — a ring
  5. press — to push
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. kid — child
  8. press — newspapers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. band — a music group
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — a line
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mark — a grade

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