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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: deal · bay · wind · root · swing · press · bowl · content

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. press — newspapers
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — to play on
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. root — the cause

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