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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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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: field · press · root · rush · rock · face · arm · bat

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — farmland
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. press — to push
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. root — the cause
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rock — music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. press — a publisher

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