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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: bat · tear · roll · club · bear · hand · press · root

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a list
  8. root — of a word
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — a group
  11. bear — the animal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. press — a publisher
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hand — in cards
  16. press — to push
  17. root — the cause
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — for baseball

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