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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: root · press · tube · ruler · cold · content · march · fine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. root — of a word
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. root — of a plant
  17. press — to push
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — happy
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. root — the cause
  23. tube — the underground
  24. press — a publisher

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