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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: date · straw · bat · can · press · root · cell · perch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. press — to push
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. root — of a word
  11. press — a publisher
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — the cause
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cell — a phone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. can — to be able to

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