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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.

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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 · wind · drill · cap · court · branch · ball

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a great time
  4. court — of law
  5. root — the cause
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. root — of a plant
  19. drill — army training
  20. press — to push
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. branch — of a tree

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