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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.

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: press · arm · mine · mouse · root · stock · calf · land

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — a publisher
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stock — shares
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. press — to push
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mouse — for a computer

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