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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pitcher · press · file · nail · net · leaves · tear

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — newspapers
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tear — to rip
  19. press — a publisher
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — lets stay

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