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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
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: press · root · spring · bear · cabinet · rush · branch · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. press — to push
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — the season
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spring — a coil
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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