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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: press · nail · staff · tear · present · foot · root · lash

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — of a word
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — a stick
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — the cause
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — there

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