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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: rest · jam · press · shower · root · wind · bulb · racket

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — the cause
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — to push
  7. bulb — for light
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. shower — rain
  24. rest — a break

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