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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: root · lean · press · face · present · squash · stick · charge

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. root — of a word
  3. present — there
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. squash — to crush
  12. root — the cause
  13. face — to point toward
  14. present — the time now
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. charge — a price
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. charge — in control
  24. lean — thin

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