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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 120 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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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 · squash · fork · press · face · drill · content · board

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. board — a committee
  3. root — of a word
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. squash — the sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. fork — in a road
  9. press — to push
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — part of the head
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. content — the amount
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — the cause
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. root — 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