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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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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 · root · mug · lash · tear · scale · kick · cap

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mug — a cup
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mug — a face
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — to push
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. kick — in football

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