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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: squash · degree · press · key · rock · lean · swing · root

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. rock — to move gently
  3. swing — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lean — thin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rock — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lean — to bend
  14. root — of a word
  15. rock — a stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — newspapers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  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