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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 120 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
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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: lie · press · pop · race · season · cell · track · root

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pop — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. press — to push
  6. track — a path
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. season — of the year
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — a song
  16. race — the arms race
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — a contest
  24. track — to keep track

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