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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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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: root · last · trunk · press · capital · pitcher · current · chair

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. current — of water
  9. root — the cause
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. press — to push
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chair — a leader
  17. root — of a word
  18. current — happening now
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. last — final
  23. capital — money
  24. current — electric

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