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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: chest · press · charge · squash · lie · root · bulb · can

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — a price
  5. can — to be able to
  6. root — of a word
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. root — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — to recline
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bulb — for light
  18. charge — in control
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chest — a box
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — the cause

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