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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 116 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 · kid · swing · bound · stem · cold · rock · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. swing — in golf
  3. press — to push
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rock — a stone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — to tease
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — to come from
  18. root — the cause
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — music

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