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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: fine · press · dip · root · bat · wake · sharp · fall

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. root — of a word
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. press — to push
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fine — all right
  22. root — the cause
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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