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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · chair · bulb · root · track · patient · degree · press

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. root — of a word
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a song
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. degree — from a university
  13. press — to push
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chair — a leader
  18. track — a path
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. patient — a sick person

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