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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: craft · club · cell · squash · root · tube · press · fall

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — to push
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — a container
  9. cell — a phone
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — to crush
  19. club — for golf
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. club — a group

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