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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: cold · press · stem · wind · last · root · cabinet · rock

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stem — to come from
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rock — music
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — to push
  17. cold — not warm
  18. root — the cause
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — final
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — finally
  24. stem — of a plant

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