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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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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: pound · press · cabinet · swing · tear · patient · last · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — the cause
  5. press — a publisher
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. last — finally
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a word
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — to go on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — final
  24. swing — music

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