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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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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: cap · rule · sharp · bass · fall · rock · root · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. press — to push
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bass — the fish
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rule — government
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rule — a law
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — a stone
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fall — the season
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. press — newspapers
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. root — the cause

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