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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 · rock · root · field · craft · press · bear · cabinet

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. craft — boats
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — a subject
  19. root — of a plant
  20. craft — a skill
  21. field — farmland
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — to put up with

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