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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: ruler · arm · press · face · cold · straw · root · roll

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — a publisher
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. roll — a cake
  11. face — to confront
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. roll — a list
  15. cold — not warm
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — of a word
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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